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Othgos
''"To paraphrase one of my ancestors, we will fight these rebellious interlopers wherever they attack. We will fight them on the landings. We will fight them on the seas, and in the skies, and on the streets. We will never surrender!" ''Former EF Senator of Scylla Roland Ponsonby, 884-997 S.V. The Othgos province was the first and smallest district built, serving as the 'brain' of the megalopolis, handling all major political and administrative duties not only for the city but the planet itself. Situated in the northwest, only a few hundred miles from the remains of the Liyun Peaks, the province was built over the site of the final battle for control of the planet. Dozens of monuments were erected to honor those who had given their lives for the Federation's victory, as well as enormous fortress-like emplacements laden with anti-ground, anti-air, and anti-orbital automatic defense systems. This importance made it a priority target during the Armageddon Wars, and despite how heavily it was defended- far more than any other district- defensive systems and emplacements could not be rebuilt faster than they could be destroyed. After two centuries of stubbornly refusing to capitulate, the shattered remnants were finally abandoned. Not much remains of Othgos, not compared to the other provinces. Only a handful of buildings and monuments deemed unimportant by the invaders standing. Everything else was leveled. Most of Othgos no longer resembles any sort of cityscape now, and its famed comfortable, temperate atmosphere has become twisted'' . The destruction itself tore all the way to the district's foundations, and from there influences from the stellar leylines found residues left by spells cast by powerful wizards. These, and possibly manipulations by the Aboleth, have returned Othgos to its pre-Federation state- an unpleasant and mostly saltwater swamp, loaded with vicious flora and fauna and keeping its secrets hidden below thick layers of decay which reach down to depths forgotten by the sun; a perfect home for the Aboleth. It is widely believed that the ancients had many tendrils involved with Othgos' fall, and the few fish-horrors which deign to speak to mortal historians have been known to pridefully boast that it was indeed their machinations that laid low the works of Man. But, that doesn't mean that the Aboleth got everything they wanted or planned for. While the swampy terrain allowed the Aboleth to dig deep and hide in their ancient, buried fortresses and citadels and hoard their beloved secrets, they have not been able to fully recolonize the region. A number of factors have contributed to this, and none of them are in the Aboleth's favor. The first and most irksome reason (from their perspective) is the presence of a wide variety of unfamiliar fauna. Many magical and mundane beasts survived the devastation of Othgos, and without their keepers they have become wild and feral creatures, gathering near spots of powerful magical resonance and around functional desalination plants for fresh water, surviving off of whatever meat presents itself. Most often, that 'meat' comes from the Aboleth and their enslaved minions. Another critical, if recent, development is the presence of Dragons. Black Dragons in particular favor swampy terrain for their lairs, and following in their wake were Bronze drakes. While both colors despise each other, they despise the aboleth even more, and they have proven more than willing to call for a ceasefire in their private wars when the opportunity to exterminate their most hated of foes presents itself. The final factor is the RRC, the Reclamators, and all the Freelancers they tend to bring with them to try and reclaim the region for Paradise City. Even in light of the Dragon Wars, the Reclamators regularly send personnel to salvage or work on the small patches of urban sprawl that weren't demolished. And if those weren't enough, groups from other countries both on and off world have a habit of poking their noses where they aren't welcome, sending in Freelancers and specialist teams to try and wrest the secrets of the Aboleth away for their respective nations. '' '' ''Because of these factors, much of Othgos remains a battlefield to this day, so many factions all working against each other to dominate and secure more territory for themselves. The Black drakes are always looking to increase the size of their lairs and loot the ancient ruins they know are buried deep below the swamps, and their Bronze counterparts are always searching for ways to terraform the land and often hire mortals to assist them in doing so. The Aboleth of course tirelessly work to destroy all who threaten what they claim is rightfully theirs, and the mortal races are eternally eager to repair, reclaim, or simply loot whatever they can get their hands on. Accurate geopolitical maps of the region are impossible to draw, as each factions territorial borders change far too frequently. The various groups all make regular pushes to dominate greater portions of the region, which is immediately met with reprisals from their opponents, and it is rare when one is able to keep newly claimed land for any appreciable space of time. Such developments are considered a golden opportunity by more than a few Freelancers- the risks are high, but the potential for reward is doubly so, if one can survive. Environmentally, Othgos is considered a fascinating place to visit, but few would dare to live there- Dragons and Aboleth or not. The temperate climate Othgos used to enjoy is more or less gone. It is irritatingly hot and humid during the summer months, and during the spring, fall, and winter it is often bitterly cold. The province's position near the Peaks and the heavily altered planetary weather patterns in particular rain hell upon the northern and westernmost portions of Othgos, bringing brutal storms of sleet and freezing rain and tornados made of snow and frozen debris down from the mountaintops in the winter months. This is something of a pity, given that during the summer months, those areas are the most humanoid-friendly zones; if one can stand the ever present stench of rotting matter and salty swamp air. 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